Shiemi Moriyama
Shiemi Moriyama is the tritagonist and lead heroine of the manga/anime series Blue Exorcist. She is an Exwire at the True Cross Academy, and is training to be a Tamer. She is also the love interest of Rin Okumura. She is voiced by Kana Hanazawa in the Japanese version of the anime, and by Christine Marie Cabanos in the English version of the anime. Appearance Shiemi has straight, shoulder length platinum-blond hair (though her hair is simply blond in the anime), green eyes, and fair skin. Her hair occasionally curls at the ends, and she is usually seen with a clip or headband in it. In the manga, her hair is much lighter than the anime, appearing almost white at times. In her initial appearance, Shiemi wore brightly colored kimonos with equally colorful haori and occasionally went barefoot. After joining the Exorcist Cram School, she changes into the school uniform, which consists of black shoes, a short, pink skirt with a black belt, tight white thigh highs, and a white colored shirt. She also wears the female version of the school tie, which is tied with a large bow. Shiemi also has noticeably large breasts despite her figure, which shocked all of the guys when they first saw her in the school uniform as the kimonos she usually wore concealed her figure. Personality When she first appears, Shiemi is very shy and quiet at school. This is because when she was younger, she was awfully shy and sick, so she wasn't able to attend school, which made it hard for her to have friends of her own age. Her love for her late grandmother made her want to never leave her garden, though she eventually did with help from Rin and Yukio. Nevertheless, she is very kind and optimistic and treats everyone she meets with respect, even if they don't always return the favour. She also starts rather clumsy, frequently tripping, though she overcomes this after swapping her kimono for a school uniform. Shiemi is also very naive; most of her life was spent within the premises of her home, therefore she is rather clueless when it comes to typical adolescent experiences and grew up without any real friends. However, she is incredibly loyal, patient and hardworking; she would do anything for her friends, even if it would make others feel uneasy. In one episode, when she aimed of having friends at school, she humbly asked Izumo then, but instead of hanging out with her and having fun, Izumo took advantage of her kindness by always asking her to run errands, turning her into a servant. This came to an end when Rin enlightened her that friendship isn't supposed to be that way, and respecting one another is more than loving a friend. Her desire to make friends gets to the point that she considers herself to be too young for romance, saying that she just doesn't have the time or comfort level for a boyfriend, especially since she really wants to focus on becoming an Exorcist. Her exceptional kindness, immense willpower, and good nature has made her popular with the Exwires. Izumo describes her as someone who's "always cheerful in a ditsy way" but is able to approach anyone without fear of who they are. However, Shiemi doesn't see herself this way, since she gets really scared of Rin after learning that he's the son of Satan, to the point that she's unable to talk to him anymore, and hates herself for it. When Rin is in danger of being executed, and thinks he'd be better off dead, however, Shiemi overcomes her fears and hugs him to cool him down. It is observed that Shiemi first made friends with Yukio, then Rin. In one of the episodes, she determines to herself: "I've got to stop relying on Yuki-chan and Rin all the time. Today, I'll make some friends for sure!" She is also an optimist and never gives up on her friends. She does not take criticism very seriously and always tries to help. Shiemi also has a number of odd habits, such as giving nicknames to various herbs and other plants, and once failed a test because she didn't use their real names. Additionally, when Izumo laments that she can't believe she's friends with someone like Shiemi, who's "as shameless as a weed", Shiemi takes it as a pep talk and vows to become "as strong as a weed". History Shiemi and her grandmother were very close when she was still young, since her mother didn't have much time for her own daughter. On most days, Shiemi would tend to her grandma's garden with her. At one point in time, she told Shiemi a story about the Amahara Garden which fired her fuse to search for it. Then the day came when Shiemi told her grandmother that she was going out to search for it till sunset. Unfortunately, she stayed out too long, and found her grandmother lying on the ground with a large trellis on top of her. Because of this, Shiemi believed that it was her fault that her grandmother died that day. This also led to a Demon possessing her legs, she was tricked by the Demon because she wanted to fix her grandmother's garden. Plot True Cross Academy Arc Shiemi is introduced while gardening in her grandmother's garden. As Rin touched the gate leading into the garden, it broke and fell off its hinges. Seeing this, Shiemi fearfully begins to crawl away from Rin, calling him a demon and telling him to stay back. Rin, realizing it was a gate meant to ward off demons, puts it back in place, also telling her that he is not a demon. He then starts helping her garden after he noticed she wasn't able to walk, where after they introduce themselves to each other. She tells him of her dream to find the Amahara Garden, a legendary garden filled with plants from around the world, that her deceased grandmother had told her about. After some time, Yukio came, accompanied by Shiemi's mother. Telling Shiemi that Yukio had come to examine her legs, Shiemi then showed him her legs, which were covered in roots. Yukio immediately realized that it was the work of a demon and asked Shiemi if she had ever talked to a demon in the garden. While Shiemi was telling him that she would never do such a thing, she suddenly collapses. When she woke up, she found herself in her grandmother's room, thinking about her grandmother and her death. Shiemi reminds herself that she swore to protect her grandmother's garden. She then went outside to continue gardening. Rin, who was waiting for Yukio and Shiemi's mother to finish talking, told her that trapping herself in the garden was wrong, and that her grandmother would never have wanted that. He then starts to destroy the plants in the garden to find the demon, while Shiemi, finally beginning to understand that her grandmother wanted her to follow her dreams, watched him. Yukio then appeared, claiming that Shiemi will walk soon after they exorcise the demon. Angered by this, the plant demon of the garden, still hidden, told Shiemi that she had betrayed it. It then took over the roots in her legs and molded itself around Shiemi, so that Shiemi acted as a shield. Rin attempted to free Shiemi from the demon's grasp unsuccessfully, while Yukio struggled to find out a way to separate the two. He then pulled out a gun and shot Shiemi with a harmless bullet (which contained a red weed killer liquid inside, appearing to have injured Shiemi), to which the plant demon separated from her. Once freed, Rin killed the demon while Yukio tended to an unconscious Shiemi. After waking, Shiemi stood for the first time in years, and with encouragement, tearfully apologized to her mother for rejecting her. The next day, Shiemi had decided to enroll in Rin's class. She was introduced as a new student by Yukio. She sat next to Rin and then thanked him for what he did. She also said that one of the reasons she came was to see Yukio as a teacher, while her eyes sparkled. During lunch, Shiemi tells Rin that she feels like she doesn't belong in the school because she doesn't really want to become an Exorcist. She then asks Rin if he has any friends. Shiemi and Rin's classmates appear and tease Rin about his close relationship with Shiemi, when they ask Rin if she's his friend. He blushes furiously and says no, Shiemi is highly offended by this. She is next seen watching Rin and Suguro battle it out in practical athletics. Some days later, Shiemi arrives at the academy with a resolution. Today she decides that she will make a friend. She sees Kamiki and Paku in the halls and gathers the courage to talk to them, but ends up embarrassing herself by tripping. She sees Rin in the halls, but decides not to depend on him anymore and continues her pursuit to make friends and become stronger. In Magic Circle, Art of Sealing class, she learns that she has the potential to become a Tamer and even summons a Greenman spirit familiar. She decides that it's the perfect time to talk to Kamiki since she also summoned a familiar. Kamiki just insults her, but since Shiemi is naive, she takes it as a compliment. Shiemi then names her familiar Nii-chan. When Kamiki leaves the classroom, Shiemi follows after her and asks if she can be her friend. Kamiki says yes, deciding to take advantage of her kindness and make her do things for her like a servant. But, being the person she is, Shiemi doesn't mind. Rin takes notice of this and later tells her to stop it. Shiemi gets offended and runs off with Rin running after her. During the training at the old boys dormitory, Shiemi and Rin suddenly hear screaming, Shiemi realizes that it's Paku and Kamiki. Rin decides to go after their screaming and tells Shiemi to go get help, but she follows after Rin not wanting to be left behind. When they arrive at the scene, Shiemi orders Rin to distract the demon while she treats the injured Paku. She realizes it's a burn wound and decides that she'll need some Sancho-san (Aloe) which her familiar Nii-chan supplies her with. She correctly treats the wound and feels delighted when Paku thanks her. She is next seen blushing when Rin appears without a shirt on. Training Camp Arc During the camp the class attends in the Summer Vacation, Shiemi is attacked by demon insects, and, after losing her familiar Nii-chan, she loses consciousness after shouting for help. Rin dashes to rescue her, and finds the insects swarming all over Shiemi's body. Seeing her head bleeding and her in an unconscious state, Rin yells out in anger for the bugs to get away from her, accidentally unleashing his blue flames. This was then spotted by Ryūji, who came to check on Shiemi as well, however Rin was able to get out of explaining the flames that Ryūji had seen. When Shiemi awakens, she screams out for Nii-chan, remembering what the moth demons did, crying while holding Nii-chan's ripped magic circle. But Ryūji assures her that she could use another paper to summon Nii-chan again. When Konekomaru texted both Ryūji and Renzō to help with the Peg Lantern he found, Shiemi accompanies them along with Rin. For the strategy Konekomaru came up with to bring the Peg lantern back to camp, Shiemi's part was being in the wagon feeding the Peg Lantern the moth demons as fuel. She is later carried by Rin in order to move the Peg Lantern to the other side of the bank. She and her friends are successful in moving the Peg Lantern back to camp and shortly after are attacked by Amaimon. Later, Shiemi starts to walk out of the protective circle surprising the others. They quickly find out that one of the larva demon from the bridge had burrowed into the back of Shiemi's neck and was controlling her. She walked to Amaimon who picked her up and disappeared into the forest prompting Rin to run after them. In the forest Rin demands to know what Amaimon will do with Shiemi and Amaimon says he will make her his wife. Then he goes to remove one of her eyes commenting on how one of his cousins collects human eyes. At this point Rin enters battle with Amaimon and Shiemi is unguarded. The group manages to find her and Yukio removes the larva demon controlling her. Later, in the manga, when Rin is subdued Shiemi flinches away from him and refuses to talk to him as he is taken into custody. In the anime, Shiemi is responsible for subduing Rin by hugging him and calling his name. She is unafraid of him. Kyoto Arc When on the Kyoto mission, Shiemi was still rather confused, not knowing if she could trust Rin after finding out that he was Satan's son. In the inn, she constantly thinks about her own safety. Later, she, along with the other Exwires, is asked by Shurato break Rin out of prison, giving them all camouflage ponchos, which makes them invisible to others when worn. When the Exwires successfully get past the prison guards and find the demon prison cell Rin is locked, she is the only one not petrified by the demon, stating she had no weapons. Then remembering being told by the demon that it can be opened from the outside without a key, she opens the door and goes inside, in search of Rin. When she finds him, she tells him why she was there and that everyone else had also tried to save him. When she tries to get closer, he yells at her to stay away, saying she could die if his flames go awry, and that he, himself, would be better off dead. Surprised and angered at this, she yells at him to not speak like that and that she wants to help him, to which he lashes back and yells at her to go home and calls himself a monster, his flames bursting. Realizing she never really thought of Rin's feelings, only thinking of herself, she tears up and runs to hug him, consoling him that his flames do not burn her. He backs away, blushing furiously, asking if she's really not scared of him, to which she replies happily that she is not, ending up in their reconciling. Powers & Abilities Shiemi when first introduced is quite timid and demonstrated no fighting abilities. However, she was shown to have exceptional energy reserve when a plant demon used her as a power supply for a period of time. Kamiki, an undeniably exceptional Tamer herself, was surprised to see how Shiemi developed as a Tamer in a short period of time. Intelligence She was shown to have vast knowledge on plants particularly in medicinal herbs being the daughter of an owner of an Exorcist supply shop. She doesn't primarily involve herself in direct confrontations but makes up for it by giving aid to her teammates to the best of her ability. Tamer When she is first introduced, Shiemi was able to summon an infant Greenman Spirit in an Exorcist Taming lesson. As the ability to summon a demon is exceptionally rare, Shiemi has great potential. She was also able to immediately control the infant Greenman spirit, which she calls "Nii-chan ", indicating that she has a large amount of discipline and focus. Shiemi has performed multiple abilities thus far with her Greenman familiar. She can have him generate an Aloe branch that can produce juices that can heal wounds caused by everyday accidents and ones caused by demons. She can also have him create barriers of wood, tree roots, and flowers to protect herself or her friends - although prolonged use of this ability will drain her stamina quickly. However, this weakening may have been enhanced by the toxic fluids that a demon had cast on her before she made the barrier, which indicates that she may have greater stamina than seen. In the anime, she has conjured dandelions to carry away her friends when they where in danger and even a fluff for soft landing for Rin. During the Training Camp arc, Shiemi lost contact with Nii-chan after her magic circle was destroyed. In the latest events, Shiemi was able to summon Nii-chan again by drawing a circle with her blood through determination and will. Her will appears so strong that Nii-chan was able to absorb the grass around him and grow larger at about Shiemi's height. Herbalism Shiemi has considerable talent in the field of using medicinal herbs to heal wounds. She is able to accurately recognize different types of illnesses, and uses her greenman familiar to summon specific plants that can heal wounds such as burns and stab wounds. Trivia *Shiemi shares both of her voice actors (Kana Hanazawa and Christine Marie Cabanos) with Chiaki Nanami, the main heroine of Super Danganronpa 2. Coincidentally, both Rin and Yukio's English voice actors (Bryce Papenbrook and Johnny Yong Bosch) also star in the game, as Nagito Komaeda and Hajime Hinata, respectively. *She has only worn traditional Japanese clothing since she was born (with the exception of occasionally the school uniform). *Her favorite food is her grandmother's herb cookies. *Her favorite pastimes are gardening, making herbal teas, naming plants and flowers, baking cookies, and lying under the sun. *She is slightly allergic to pollen. *She seems to have a few similarities with Cosette In Valkyria Chronicles 2. They are both clumsy and are better in medical work. They seem to have almost the same hairstyle. *In the afterword of Volume #1, Kazue Kato states that the original concept of Shiemi had been a Gothic girl living in a tower without the focus on Japanese style. *In the English scan of Ao no Exorcist Volume #1, at the end, Moriyama was incorrectly typed as Murayama. *Kazue Kato initially had Shiemi's eye color as blue. This was seen on many chapter covers and on Volume #3. *She bares quite a resemblance to Monaka Miyama-Uguisu, the girl in The Miyama-Uguisu Mansion Incident, the one shot that led to Blue Exorcist. Gallery Shiemi_moriyama_render_1_ao_no_exorcist_by_iemelien-d678bux.png|Shiemi in her school uniform Shiemi school uniform anime.png Shiemi&Rin.jpg|Shiemi and Rin Rin confronting Shiemi.jpg Shiemi-forgives.png Category:Female Category:Anime Heroes Category:Manga Heroes Category:Teenagers Category:Nature-Lovers Category:Damsels Category:Exorcists Category:Elementals Category:Pure Good Category:Optimists Category:Tragic Category:Determinators Category:Comedy Heroes Category:Protector of Innocence Category:Loyal Category:Fantasy Heroes Category:Summoners Category:Possessed/Brainwashed Category:Protectors Category:Scapegoat Category:Healers Category:Lawful Good Category:Charismatic Category:In Love